


Well, Now You're Adopted

by Stratagem



Series: Lion Cub [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Gen, Voltron Fluff, paladins being family, shallura family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 19:50:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10883745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: Lance needs to know why Emi, Shiro and Allura's daughter, only calls Keith her uncle. What about the rest of them? Are the other paladins just chopped liver? What's the deal?





	Well, Now You're Adopted

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!
> 
> A/N: Emi is 4 in this one. I thought I should probably explain why Emi only refers to Keith as "Uncle" and the others don't get uncle or aunt in front of their names. So here's some fluff!

"Okay, but I don't get why Keith gets to be 'Uncle Keith' while the rest of us are just Lance, Pidge, and Hunk."

"It's more like Uncle Keef. And Lance is an upgrade from being called 'LaLa,' right?"

"Shut up, _Iggs_."

Lance and Pidge were having a very serious conversation while shooting each other's post-apocalyptic-dressed avatars on their latest video game console set-up.

The younger paladins were hanging out in the castle's upgraded and much more comfortable rec room, enjoying a break after a morning of training. Back when they had been younger, the rec room had just been a mostly empty room with a few uncomfortable couches. Now, after years of use and redecorating, it looked more like a living room or a game room from a house back on Earth. The Voltron crew found it much easier to relax there nowadays, and it made living in a castle-spaceship a little easier.

Hunk was laying on his stomach on the floor, his arms wrapped around a pillow as he watched Lance and Pidge duel it out onscreen. "I sort of miss being called Huh," he said, and his lower lip quivered a little before he gave a sniff. "Whenever she calls me Hunk it reminds me that she's growing up. Soon she'll be flying spaceships and fighting for justice and then she'll start stealing Black to sneak out and go on joyrides…"

"She's only four, Hunk," Keith said. He was sitting on the couch, watching the game and acting as a pillow for the four-year-old in question. Fast asleep, Emi was curled up next to him with her head on his leg, so there was absolutely no way he was moving.

"You watch," Hunk said, "You'll blink, and suddenly she'll be eighteen and _so tall_ and dating—"

Keith's eyebrows jerked together and his hand rested on Emi's back. "No."

"I already made her sign a contract to never date anyone ever," Lance said with a smirk, "So that's off limits."

Pidge rolled her eyes. "What'd she sign it in, crayon?"

"Well yeah…" Lance jabbed his thumb against one of the buttons on his controller and then made a face. "But anyways, we're off topic. I still don't get why Emi only calls Keith her uncle."

"She likes him best," Pidge said. She didn't really mean it, she just wanted to distract Lance. It worked.

"She does _not_ ," Lance shot back, looking affronted.

Too easy. Pidge grinned as Lance missed his shot at her avatar, which allowed her to launch a torpedo at his.

Lance made a noise somewhere between a growl and yelp and sent his avatar running off in the opposite direction. "I think Keith told her to call him that like a thousand times when we weren't paying attention, and now it's stuck."

Hunk snorted. "So, what you're saying is that Keith brainwashed the baby."

"I didn't," Keith said, making a face at Lance, "Coran's called all of us her uncles or aunt a few times. She probably picked it up from him."

"You're really just worried that she loves Keith more," Pidge said, smirking at the blue paladin, "Admit it."

"Nope, it just doesn't make sense, and that bothers me," Lance said.

His avatar stumbled over a trap, and the screen went bright red as Lance's avatar exploded into pixel gore. Lance sighed and frowned at victorious Pidge, who jerked both her pointer fingers at him in a mock of a pose he had made earlier.

"You owe me ice cream, loser."

The title music for the game started playing loudly over the speakers, and Emi popped up, her thick hair in her face like a mane. "I wanna play," she said sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

Keith reached over and brushed her hair back from her face with one hand. "Where's your hair tie?" he asked, holding up her bare wrist where she was supposed to have a hair tie. Her hair was wild and thick, and she was currently in a stage where she would only let Allura or Lance do her hair. Poor Shiro, he wasn't even allowed to comb it.

Emi ignored him and scrambled down from the couch. She took one step away from the couch before turning around and holding out her hand to Keith, palm up. As if reading her mind, Keith unearthed her black lion plushie from the couch and dropped it in her hand.

Lion secured, she crawled over Hunk like she was mountain climbing, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She tottered over and sat down in Lance's lap as if he was a bean bag chair. Reaching down to her foot, she pulled off the hair tie that had apparently migrated to her ankle and offered it to him with one hand while reaching for the controller with the other hand.

"Well hello to you too, sleepyhead," he said, taking the hair tie but not relinquishing the controller. Instead, he handed that off to Hunk, who had been waiting his turn. Years of experience with his own little sister had turned Lance into an expert when it came to brushing hair, so he was gentle as he combed his fingers through Emi's hair. He pulled back the two white streaks from the front and started french-braiding them into the rest of her black hair.

"Hey Emi, why do you call Keith Uncle Keith?"

"He's my uncle," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but what about Hunk? And Pidge? And me?"

"Lance…" Hunk started, not wanting Lance to get his feelings hurt, even if Emi didn't mean to.

Emi tilted her head to the side. "Pidge isn't my uncle, she's my aunt."

Lance paused, Emi's hair halfway done. "Wait, so what are me and Hunk?"

"Uncles."

"But you don't call us that?" Lance said, now thoroughly confused by four-year-old logic.

Emi turned to look at him, nearly pulling her hair out of his hands. "Nooo, it's a lot of words." She leaned to the side and reached out toward the controller that Hunk was holding. "Can I play?"

"We'll play one of your games later, kiddo," Hunk said, giving the little girl a bright smile. She sighed and turned forward, her attention going back to the black lion toy. "Maybe she just calls him that, Lance."

"No, I have to know now," Lance said. He rapidly braided the rest of her hair then slid her out of his lap so she was sitting cross-legged in front of him. Grabbing her legs, he spun her around so she was facing him. He bent down, hands on his knees, until they were eye to eye. "Okay, Emi, how come Keith is Uncle Keith but me and Hunk aren't Uncle Lance and Uncle Hunk? I'll give you a cookie if you can tell me."

Keith crossed his arms, frowning.

"'Cause he's daddy's little brother," she said, "So I gotsta call him uncle." Her eyebrows lifted as she stared back at Lance, acting as if he was the one with a major issue. "It's Earth rules."

The paladins all looked at Emi and then at Keith, who held up his hands. "I didn't tell her that."

"Why do you think Keith is your dad's brother?" Hunk asked, genuinely interested now. He didn't care what Emi called him but now he was curious.

Emi shrugged as if she didn't understand the question or as if it should have been obvious, and she looked at Lance expectantly. "Cookie?"

"Should we tell her…?" Keith said, looking uncertain.

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk answered in unison. "No!"

"Dude, you'd crush her little baby dreams," Hunk said, shaking his head vigorously, "Or mess up her entire view of reality."

"She wouldn't believe you, anyways," Pidge said.

"And there would definitely be some tears," Lance said.

There was no way he or the others would complain about Emi's reasoning, not when it gave Keith the family he deserved. Shiro had been like a brother to Keith, and Lance wasn't going to try to convince Emi that it wasn't true. Actually, he would fight anyone who tried to argue with the kid. She would find out eventually, anyways, so he wasn't going to ruin it for her now. Let her have a 'real' uncle, too.

Lance stood up and scooped Emi up off the ground. "C'mon, Squeaker, let's go raid the cookie jar!"

"Cookie jar!" Emi shrieked, pumping the fist holding her lion plushie into the air. With harmonizing war cries, they headed off for the kitchen.

"Uncle Keef, play with us," Pidge teased, holding out a third controller to the red paladin, who laughed and took it, even though he sucked at video games.

"It's not adorable when you say it."

Pidge and Hunk glanced at each other and then yelled. "Uncle Keeeeeef!"

"Okay, stop."


End file.
